Timepiece regulator



March l5, 1949.

lD. s. INGRAHAM TIMEPIECE-REGULATOR Filed July 20, 1946 Patented Mar. 15, 1949 TIMEPIE CE REGULATOR Dudley S. Ingraham, Bristol, Conn., assigner to The E. Ingraham Company, Bristol, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application July 20, 1946, Serial No. 685,263

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates in general to regulators for timepieces and more particularly to improved means for controlling the movement of the hairspring regulator-arm of a clock.

Timepieces, and in particular timepieces of the class referred to, are regulated by means of an arm which is operatively connected to the hairspring of the time-train so that when the regulator-arm is swung to the right or left of its normal central position, the time-train will be speeded up or slowed down respectively. It has been found that it is the usual practice for the owners of timepeces to regulate, or attempt to regulate, their timepieces by more or less indiscriminate and heedless movement of the regulator-arm, such adjustments being permitted by the regulator-means which are now in common use.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved regulator-controlling means for timepieces, such as to enable the hairspring regulator-arm to be adjusted by small increments, but which will prevent hasty and indiscriminate settings of the regulator-arm.

A further object of the invention is to provide a timepiece-casing with a zigzag slot therein opf posite the regulator-arm of the timepiece, the slot being arranged so as to enable a pin or similar pointed instrument to be inserted therein and to be engaged continuously against the regulatorarm while moving the latter through successive minute distances throughout the length of the slot.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a timepiece having a casing embodying the improved regulator-controlling slot of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken view of the timepiece-casing shown in Fig. 1, including a pin or other instrument in the regulator-controlling slot; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the regulator-arm and hairspring operatively connected therewith.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 shows the rear elevation of a timepiece which will be recognized as a non-electric clock, generally identied as an alarm-clock. The latter port a casing I I within which is mounted a frame comprising the usual front and rear movementplates I2 and I3 respectively, as shown in Fig. 3, the latter being adapted to support the timetrain and alarm-train (not shown). Associated with the time-train of the clock is a hairspring I4 and balance wheel I5, both of which are mounted on a balance-wheel shaft I 6 which is pivotally supported at its opposite ends in suitable trunnions l? of the front and rear movement-plates I 2 and I3 respectively. As is well understood, the regulation of the speed of the clock-works is controlled by means of a regulatorarm which is cooperatively associated with the outer convolution of the hairspring so that by rotating the arm about its axis, the clock-works may be slowed down or speeded up. In the present embodiment, the regulator-arm of the hairspring is indicated generally at I8, and comprises a reach I9 pivoted at one end to tne rear Aovement-plate I3 by the trunnion I'I' of the balancewheel shaft I6, the opposite end of the reach I9 being provided with a vane-like element 20 having an aperture 2I at its forward end to receive the outer convolution of the hairspring I4. The rearwardly-extending end 22 of the vane 20 is adapted to be located adjacent the inner face of the clock-casing II opposite a slot therein, through which an implement such as, for example, a common pin, may be inserted for engaging the rear end 22 of the vane and pivoting its reach I9 either to the right or left of its normal substantially-central position. The clock mechanism described above is typical of the structure found in clocks of the class referred to, and is by way of illustration only, the present invention being in no sense limited to the specific clock mechanism described herein but being applicable to all clocks having equivalent structure.

It is the intention of the manufacturers of time-pieces of the class referred to herein, that adjustment of the hairspring regulator-arm I8 should be done with a reasonable degree of care, and to this end various means have been devised to encourage minute adjustments only of the regulator-arm I8. `Since it is preferable that the adjustment of the regulator-arm be relatively stiff, such means have, in general, consisted of successive slots or apertures designed to provide fulcrums against which a pin or similar levermeans might be engaged for applying leverage to the regulator-arm and thus move the latter in relatively-short interrupted steps. However, these means have heretofore been relatively expensive or have failed to prevent hasty and indiscriminate adjustment of the regulator-arm. The improved regulator-controlling means of this invention comprises a slot in the back of the casing I I designed to permit minute adjustments by leverage action, or by a direct pull if such is permissible, of the regulator-arm, but in either case, to compel the owner of the timepiece to make the adjustments with care and watchful attention. Referring to Fig. 2, the improved regulator-controlling slot is indicated generally at 23 and is essentially a zigzag slot struck on the arc of a circle concentric with the pivot I'I of the reach I9 of the regulator-arm I8. The term zigzag as used herein shall be understood to denote any slot, the oppositely-disposed edges of which are of substantially-identical conlguration, the oonguration of each edge being preferably that of an alternate series of notches and protuberances, the protuberances of one edge being substantially opposite the notches of the opposite edge. More particularly, the arcuate zigzag slot 23 comprises closed ends 24 and upper and lower edges 25 and 2S respectively, each edge comprising a plurality of successive saw-teeth or triangular serrations 2'I and 28 respectively. The sloping sides of the teeth 2'I are spaced from and substantially parallel to the sloping sides of the oppositely-disposed teeth 28, While the apex 29 of any one of the teeth 2'I is located substantially midway between the apices 3D of an oppositelydisposed pair of teeth 28. Moreover, the apices 2S and 30 of the teeth 2l and 28 respectively may, but not necessarily, extend across the arcuate longitudinal median line 3l of the slot 23, in a manner approaching but not achieving intermeshing relationship. As indicated in Fig. 2, the width of the zigzag slot 23 corresponds to the space between the oppositely-disposed teeth and is substantially equal to and may be somewhat greater than the diameter of the implement to be inserted therein for moving the regulatorarm I8, the implement generally used being a common pin, as shown at 32.

Although the present embodiment illustrates the use of a saw-toothed zigzag slot, the protuberances and notches of the respective edges 25 and 26 may have other shapes than that of a substantially-triangular saw-tooth. For example, the protuberances and notches may be shaped, in general, like gear teeth, or may be of substantially-rectangular or sinuous configuration.

It will be clear that when the regulator-arm I8 is to be adjusted from its normal substantiallycentral position, a common pin 32 may be inserted into the zigzag slot 23 into engagement with the adjacent portion 22 of the reach I9. To move the latter either by a direct pull or by leverage action, the pin 32 must be moved longitudinally between the edges of the slot, and inasmuch as the edges of the slot are of zigzag configuration, the operator is compelled to guide the pin rela# tively slowly and carefully throughout the length of the slot, following the zigzag path thereof. Consequently, there can be no indiscriminate and heedless movement of the regulator-arm I8, the requirement that the operator reverse or otherwise change the direction of movement of the pin 32 in accordance with the configuration of the slot being sufficient to compel the operator to move the lever-arm in successive steps, each of relatively-short length. That is to say, the pin cannot be moved uninterruptedly and hastily, but must be moved intermittently and slowly throughout the length of the slot. It will be appreciated, however, that the regulator-arm I8 may be moved from one end to the other of the slot 23 and that during such movement, the pin 32 is engaged continuously With the vane-element 22 of the reach I9 of the regulator-arm, it being unnecessary to Withdraw the pin from engagement with the vane-element for each successive step in the adjustment thereof. The improved zigzag slot, therefore, permits full regulation of the clock by adjustments which may be made conveniently and quickly, but which must be made, nevertheless, with care and discrimination.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claim are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

In a timepiece, the combination with a regulator comprising a hairspring and a regulatorarm operatively connected to said hairspring: of a case for enclosing said regulatorarm, said case having a longitudinal slot therein opposite said regulator-arm, Said slot comprising closed ends and oppositely-disposed edges, each edge comprising a plurality of successive equally-spaced saw teeth of substantially-identical size and conguration projecting inwardly into said slot, the apices of one set of saw teeth being offset laterally with respect to the apices of the second set of saw teeth extending over the longitudinal median line of said slot to form a zigzag slot wherein the transverse distance between successive pairs of saw teeth is substantially uniform throughout the length of the slot.

DUDLEY S. INGRAHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 'le of this patent:

UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,029,567 Alford June 11, 1912 2,369,690 Roth Feb. 20, 1945 

